Georgia Berner
Berner Issues pages, http://www.georgiaberner.com/issues.asp harvested on May 17, 2006: I am running for Congress because I believe we need a change in Washington. This district needs representation that understands that Jobs, Health Care, Social Security and Education are what give us the dignity and opportunities to not only prosper but to also enjoy the fruits of our labor in our old age. I will work hard in Congress to promote and protect that which maintains and grows our quality of living here in the United States for ourselves and for all future generations of Americans. I believe the families of the 4th Congressional District deserve a Representative in Washington that believes in the values of hard work and honest government. I have a record of proven and successful leadership in my community and business, and I am committed to eliminating the current culture of corruption in Washington. For the past six years, this administration, along with the unwavering support of Melissa Hart, has been following a radical agenda that is setting up our children and grandchildren for years of struggle and hardship. We need a change in Washington, and we need it now. As a business woman, I am appalled that this Congress continues to ignore our massive national debt. We need a Representative that will work to reduce the budget deficit and address the long term solutions for eliminating the national debt. My first priority, as your Representative, will be restore to fiscal responsibility and government accountability to our Federal budget. I will work to find a solution to the high costs of health care. When 46.5 million Americans are uninsured, our system is not working. I believe that every American deserves to have good quality health care. The pressure and stress associated with the rising cost of health care are fraying the fabric of our society. We need to make a commitment to find a way to provide health coverage to all Americans. Finally, we have a duty to support our troops in Iraq and bring them home as soon as possible. The families of the 4th Congressional District want nothing more than to make sure that their sons and daughters are safe. Our troops need the best equipment while they are in Iraq, and they deserve the best health care, education and job training when they come home. As an employer, I have always believed that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of you. I promise to bring that same commitment to the men and women in the Armed Services. If you want a Representative that cares about the values of hard work and honest government and will work to change the direction of this country, then I am asking for your support. Let's give our children and grandchildren a future of hope and promise. Job Creation Jobs provide our citizens with the dignity they need and deserve. We, in Western Pennsylvania, have struggled with the departures of large corporations from our area. When the mills closed, they left great holes in the economic and social fabric of our communities. To fill in those holes, many communities are advocating and working towards creating and attracting small businesses. Today, small businesses create 75% of all of America’s new jobs. Small businesses account for half of the national employment. Nearly half of our gross domestic product is accounted for by small businesses. As a small business owner, I have created good paying manufacturing jobs with benefits in Western Pennsylvania. Since 1984, when I took over Berner International Corp., I have grown the company from 17 employees to 65. I know that small businesses create jobs, and I know that government provides the support that allows businesses to grow. I will support legislation that will develop and provide to our communities Federally-funded programs to encourage and assist small and mid-size businesses. Entrepreneurs need programs that offer consulting, training, and access to funds so that they can start businesses. I am aware that despite the presence of the SBA and other Federal and state programs for small businesses, it is still difficult for people who want to start small businesses to find the assistance that they need. Micro-loans. It takes money to make money. Let’s make it easy for qualified small businesses and entrepreneurs to obtain loans to grow and get started. Micro-loans are low interest loans that range from $5,000-100,000 and need to be easily accessible. Micro-loans can pay for the first year’s rent, marketing materials, equipment, inventory, software or whatever is needed to allow the business to get going. Micro-loans offer a positive alternative to high interest credit card financing. Get the Word Out. To create jobs, we need to get the word out. Let’s encourage and support those who want to start their own businesses. When they succeed, we succeed. In Western Pennsylvania, there are hundreds of resources available to small businesses and entrepreneurs. We need to make it easy for entrepreneurs and business owners to find them so that they can get the advice and the assistance they need to be successful in business. Economic Development. Grow our communities. We have many good people in this district who are working hard to retain and to attract good companies to this region. Let’s make the necessary investments in infrastructure – transportation, technology, power, water & sewage, as well as in environmental clean up (brownfield redevelopment) to get companies to move to and stay in Western Pennsylvania. Available Health Care. Businesses and families can no longer pay for health care. We need to make health care available to all Americans. As a CEO, I am keenly aware that the high cost of health care is one of the biggest hurdles for business owners. The cost of health care affects a business’ ability to attract and retain good employees; it affects the ability to re-invest in the business; it affects our ability to compete locally and worldwide. Health Care costs can be the deciding factor of whether or not to even start a business. In order for our companies, big or small, to remain competitive with the rest of the world and to prosper, we need to make quality health care available to all Americans. Health Care Health Care allows our citizens the freedom to prosper. Our health care system is not working. When 46.5 million Americans are without health insurance then our system is broken. This means that one-sixth of our population is without health care. To me, that is unacceptable. We need to make health care available to all American families. Every American should have the peace of mind that if a member of their family becomes sick they will have access to good quality health care. Right now, our families and businesses are struggling with the reality of rising health insurance costs. It is very difficult for individuals to find health care plans that they can afford or that will accept them in to the plan. It is also very difficult for businesses to continue to pay for health care for their employees and families. As a CEO, I am keenly aware that the high cost of health care is one of the biggest hurdles for business owners. The cost of health care affects a business’s ability to attract and retain good employees; it affects the ability to re-invest in the business; it affects our ability to compete locally and worldwide. As a business owner, I have made quality health care available to my employees and their families for the past 22 years. I have been dedicated to making sure that our employees at Berner are provided with health care. As your representative in Congress I will fight for all Americans to have full access to universal health care with a single payer system. As an American manufacturer, it makes sense from a competitive point of view. As an American citizen, it is the right thing to do. "I have found a way to put health care in my budget, I believe the greatest nation in the world can find a way to put it in the Federal Budget." Social Security Social Security is an insurance program, not an investment program. The core idea of Social Security is to provide a safety net to all Americans. Social Security has successfully provided this net, directly impacting the future generations that followed the political leaders who created it. The safety net that Social Security provides allows our seniors to remain independent. Prior to the development and implementation of Social Security, many of our elderly were homeless and without food. If they did not have family, then they were on the streets or in the poor house. Social Security is what frees grown children from the cost of taking care of their elderly parents. Social Security allows grown children to spend their money on a house for their family, on college educations, on safe vehicles to get to and from work. Social Security is what has helped to grow and maintain America’s middle class. Social Security is what allows Americans to grow old with dignity and grace. To open Social Security up to private investment is to put the security of future generations at risk. I will fight to protect and improve Social Security so that our quality of living and independence as we age is not compromised. Education Education is the ticket of opportunity for all of us. In a global, knowledge-based economy, our greatest resource for innovation and economic growth resides in our classrooms. I believe we need to make a serious, sustained commitment to our schools. We need to invest in education. Public education is what has allowed us to become the great nation that we are. Public education is what has set the United States apart from other countries. It is what provides a ticket to upward mobility for all despite family circumstances and social class. I will work to improve educational opportunities for our children and grandchildren from early childhood all the way to adulthood. I will sponsor and work for legislation that will strengthen public schools and for legislation that provides low interest higher education loans and grants so that our children and future generations have opportunities to succeed. Berner